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Scene from Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" (Katharina and Petruchio)

Washington Allston1809

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia, United States

The figures in this meticulously executed scene respond with a variety of emotions to a plan by Petruchio to subdue his argumentative new wife. Proclaiming that her new dress is not good enough, he threatens the tailor. Katharina's atypical composure suggests Petruchio's success in "taming" her temper. Best known for biblical history pictures, romantic portraits, and landscapes, Allston was also a poet and novelist. His interest in Shakespeare undoubtedly was stimulated by his close friendship with Shakespearean scholar Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Not long before this picture was painted, the two men had toured Italy, where Allston learned to emulate the lustrous glazes and jewel-like colors of Venetian painting.

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  • Title: Scene from Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" (Katharina and Petruchio)
  • Creator Lifespan: 1779/1843
  • Creator Nationality: American
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: Cambridgeport, Massachuetts, United States
  • Creator Birth Place: Georgetown, South Carolina, United States
  • Date Created: 1809
  • Location Created: United States
  • Physical Dimensions: 27 3/4 x 30 7/8 inches (70.5 x 78.4 cm)
  • Type: Paintings
  • Rights: Purchased with the Edith H. Bell Fund and the J. Stogdell Stokes Fund, 1987, © 2011 Philadelphia Museum of Art. All rights reserved.
  • External Link: Philadelphia Museum of Art
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Artist/Maker: Washington Allston, American, 1779 - 1843
Philadelphia Museum of Art

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